Simple Ways to Cover Old Furniture for A New Purpose

One major aspect of living simply is growing with your home and family. Six years ago when we changed computers I held on to our old computer desk. They were many things I like about the desk but the most important was it had doors that closed. The problem was when I placed the new computer into the desk it was not working well. Halfheartedly, we have been searching for another desk that would work just as well.

I guess starting a new school year brings new inspiration. With the boys using the computer more and no room for them to work, necessity became the mother if invention.

I quickly realized that I could use my computer desk from high school, which I had been using for science storage in the back of a closet. Using what you have on hand is a simple and cost effective solution that works well.

Which brings me to the topic of this article Simple Ways to Cover Old Furniture for A New Purpose.

What you need:

• A piece of cloth, it can be an old tablecloth, a curtain, or flat sheet. The possibilities are endless.
• A basic household stapler
• The ability to wrap a gift
• The fun part of this project is that it can be sued to decorate items for a party using gift-wrap paper also.

 

What to do:

• Drape the furniture with the material
• Once you have covered the furniture in a way that you love.
• Just use the stapler to pin the extra fabric behind the item.
  

  Tucking and pinning the cloth behind

• You can add a runner to the top for an extra special look.

Another fun way to create a special look is to take a white flat sheet or cloth and allow your children to decorate it with their handprints.

We used different color fabric paint for each child or adult.

What to do:

• Lay the cloth on a table. Hand prints are easier to navigate on a table, if done on the floor, you run the risk of smudges. The table also allows for easier placement of prints.
• Allow the children to take turns
• Cover your child’s hand with fabric paint and help them if needed to stamp the material.
• Use a fabric pen to date your creation and hang it out to dry.

I find art done on material a lot easier to incorporate into our home, so feel free to let your little or big artist create a masterpiece.

What are some ways you incorporate your children’s art work into your life?